Their role will not be limited to managing the studios. They will also participate in critiques, discussions and other activities of the faculty's academic life. They will be introduced to the public in the new Visiting cycle, which will be launched on October 5 with a lecture by Dirk Somers.
"Our goal is for the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Republic (FA) to be among the high-quality European schools of architecture with a significant international reach. The extraordinary interest in the open selection procedure and, above all, the quality of the applicants show that we are succeeding. We want to further develop the program of visiting professors, along with other steps that open the faculty to the world, including the upcoming bachelor's degree in English. Foreign teachers and students should not be something exceptional, but a natural part of the school," says Dalibor Hlaváček, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Republic (FA).
This initiative is significantly supported by the management of the Czech Republic (FA). The financial support of the Rector allows the faculty to create conditions for the long-term involvement of foreign teachers.
"The international presence of prominent figures from various fields is essential for a modern technical university if it wants to increase the quality of teaching and research. Visiting professors with their own developed practice bring new perspectives to CTU students, open up current topics and strengthen the cultural diversity of the school. These activities support CTU's openness and prepare graduates for a global professional environment," says CTU Rector Prof. Michal Pěchouček.
The current concept builds on previous experiences with visiting professors, including Winy Maas, the Viennese studio querkraft, and landscape architect Valerio Morabito. On this basis, the faculty is now building a broader framework for international cooperation. It will open three foreign studios in the upcoming semester, and two more in the summer semester.
Belgian architect and professor Dirk Somers, founder of the Antwerp office Bovenbouw Architectuur, will bring to the FA experience from teaching practice at TU Delft and Ghent University. In his architectural and academic work, he focuses on the adaptive reuse of buildings and on the perception of historical layers of architecture as a continuous process and a source for new interventions. Among other things, he was behind the concept of the Belgian pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2021. At the FA, he will focus on the cultural and architectural appreciation of post-war architecture in the Czech Republic and its potential for sustainable transformations.
At the Institute of Landscape Architecture, Maike van Stiphout from DS Landschapsarchitecten and Zuzana Jančovičová, a landscape architect based in Amsterdam, will lead a joint studio. Their interdisciplinary STUDIO RE-WILD aims to explore the role of landscape architects in creating a regenerative city for all. Students will explore how to design urban landscapes that support species diversity and the emergence of new life in urban environments, as well as how to find forms of governance focused on the return of nature to cities.
The Berlin studio biondifajt, led by Giulia Biondi and Nicolas Fajt, combines architectural practice with research and teaching. Giulia Biondi worked at HafenCity University in Hamburg and the Accademia di Architettura in Mendrisio, while Nicolas Fajt teaches at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. Together, they are members of the international platform RRR Architecture Association focused on the renewal and transformation of the built environment. Their pedagogical work is based on the careful handling of existing buildings, which they perceive as databanks of material and cultural knowledge. Instead of demolition, they seek ways to sensitively transform them.
